The Similars (The Similars #1)(43)

“You did. I ignored you.”

Levi sighs, and I almost welcome that sound. It’s been almost two weeks since our sleuthing in Oliver’s room, and with class and homework, we’ve barely spoken.

“Albert Seymour went to Darkwood,” I blurt.

Levi doesn’t react, though his gaze hardens. I don’t flinch or look away.

“And so did his half brother, John Underwood,” I add.

“Your point?”

“They’re both in a portrait of the Ten, from my father’s year. Actually, Seymour’s in it. Underwood isn’t pictured.”

“I’ve seen it,” says Levi tightly.

“Of course you have,” I answer. “Because you know legions of things you plan to never tell me, and in fact, hope I never think about again.”

“Why are you doing this, Emma?” he asks quietly. “Why can’t you let this go?”

“Let this go? You want me to let go of my questions about Oliver’s death? Let go of what he said in his last note to me? Let go of the fact that the man who invented cloning went to this school?!” I’m so angry, I could slap him. But I don’t. I hold in my fury. “When you feel like telling me whatever it is you know about Albert Seymour, you know where to find me.”

I storm off like a petulant child.

Weeks pass, and now Levi and I don’t even say hello to each other. There have been two midnight sessions where we avoided each other’s gaze. For once, I was happy that Madison rambled on about our duty to uphold Darkwood’s founding tenet of excellence. At least she didn’t make us participate in any more “exercises.” Of course, I noticed him at the sessions. Anytime we’re in a room together, I look to see what he’s doing. In the dining hall, I crane my neck to see what he’s reading. I can’t help it.

Meanwhile, more and more students inquire about DAAM. I can’t help but notice that the general mistrust of the Similars on campus is mounting, and it makes me furious. Where is this coming from? Darkwood students are supposed to be inclusive, which is the whole reason Headmaster Ransom felt he could invite the Similars here. So why does it feel like he completely missed the mark?

One November morning at breakfast, Pippa slaps a stack of paper on the table. She explains that it’s a printout of an essay that’s gone viral around the nation—and our dining hall—called “The Case for No Clones.”

“Apparently it got more than twenty million page views. And they had to turn off comments because the site kept crashing.”

“Where did you get this?” I ask as I scan it.

“A girl in my calculus BC class.”

“But how did she get her hands on it? There’s no way Headmaster Ransom would ever let this through his firewalls.”

“A junior hacked the system.” Pippa shrugs. “I’ve heard it’s not that hard if you know what you’re doing. Anyway, the essay says we were abused. This author thinks our unconventional childhood on Castor Island altered us irrevocably.”

“Abused? That’s—How?” My gaze leaps to the Similars’ table, where Ansel and Theodora talk quietly, and Levi and Jago absentmindedly play a game of tic-tac-toe. My heart hurts considering the possibility that this could be true.

“We were treated well. But according to this article, what happened to us there made us dangerous,” Pippa offers in a barely audible voice.

“If anyone’s dangerous, it’s not any of you,” I tell Pippa. “It’s Madison. She’s the only person who could have attacked Pru…”

“But we don’t have any proof,” Pippa reminds me. “And Jaeger isn’t returning my buzzes. I feel like an intruder, like the last person he wants to hear from is me.”

I grab Pippa’s hand across the table and squeeze it. “You aren’t an intruder. Jaeger’s just dealing in his own way with what happened. It’s got to be why he hasn’t called either of us back. When Pru wakes up…” I fight my own tears. “Everything will be different. You’ll see.” But I don’t know if I believe that myself.

*

Fall break passes in a blur. I stay on campus with a handful of other students, plunging into a wormhole on the history of cloning, on Seymour, and also on Gravelle, the Similars’ guardian. Not much is known about his personal life, only that he’s a self-made billionaire who funded the lab that made the big mistake when they created the Similars. He then took responsibility for raising the six clones—and according to “The Case for No Clones,” brainwashed and abused them.

Though I don’t believe the author of that article has all the facts, I’m still gutted to think that what transpired at the compound might have hurt Pippa, Levi, and the other Similars. I know their childhood was unconventional. I know Levi said he’d never traveled off the island. I know they didn’t have real parents. And I suppose that could be considered abuse in its own right.

Not surprisingly, the Similars stay on campus during break too. Pippa and I spend the holiday together. I buzz Pru’s father on our behalf, leaving him message after message. We want to visit Prudence. Please tell us a good day to come. When he finally contacts us, he says Pru is still in a coma. She wouldn’t want you to see her like that, he insists. Please don’t come. Not yet.